Cutting the cucumber in half lengthwise is pretty cool. Doing it to a soybean is amazing, especially when consider that is sword is wider than his target...
Showing posts with label Blades. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blades. Show all posts
Friday, January 21, 2011
Monday, November 02, 2009
Shiver Me Timbers
I heard an interesting rumor on the internet. (And with a source like the internet, you know it must be true.) Rumor has it that the US Coast Guard has started reissuing boarding cutlasses for some drug interdiction searches. Evidently a sailor making a standard drug search was attacked and forced to defend himself with a fire axe. You have to wonder what his sidearm was though.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
New Toys
Being the spender in the family, I've had an itch to buy something extravagant for a while now.
I looked at some swords. The French 1829 artillery saber is a beautiful weapon. The US patterned the 1840 artillery saber (not the NCO sword of the same year) after it. Unfortunately the only company making a replica is Deepeeka, so even at $75 it probably isn't a bargain. The alternative is something like the Musashi Bamboo Katana which is a bargain. It's so nice I actually gave my brother one its sister swords as a Christmas present.
I also looked at guns. A bunch of the online parts shops have gotten .45 acp cylinders in stock for the Uberti-made single action revolvers. That's important because .45 colt costs a fortune to shoot unless you reload. CDNN is selling the Beretta Stampede for a song. The Stampede is also made by Uberti but has a modern transfer bar safety so it's harder to shoot yourself with it. I like not shooting myself. But even after a Virginian in cowboy gear actually broke up a convenience story robbery with a Peacemaker over the weekend, I just can't justify spending hundreds of dollars for a gun I probably won't shoot that much. Especially since I'd have to buy a cowboy hat and a proper holster rig once I bought it.
Instead I spent my money on a netbook: the Asus 1005HA-P. I tried the cheapest version of this model at Best Buy and was shocked that I could actually touch type on the keyboard. It's a great little machine, but the Best Buy version is pretty badly neutered. I bought the top end version on Amazon along with additional memory. Now when work sends me on travel, which it has been threatening to do regularly lately, I'll have a computer to take with me. It should come in handy.
I looked at some swords. The French 1829 artillery saber is a beautiful weapon. The US patterned the 1840 artillery saber (not the NCO sword of the same year) after it. Unfortunately the only company making a replica is Deepeeka, so even at $75 it probably isn't a bargain. The alternative is something like the Musashi Bamboo Katana which is a bargain. It's so nice I actually gave my brother one its sister swords as a Christmas present.
I also looked at guns. A bunch of the online parts shops have gotten .45 acp cylinders in stock for the Uberti-made single action revolvers. That's important because .45 colt costs a fortune to shoot unless you reload. CDNN is selling the Beretta Stampede for a song. The Stampede is also made by Uberti but has a modern transfer bar safety so it's harder to shoot yourself with it. I like not shooting myself. But even after a Virginian in cowboy gear actually broke up a convenience story robbery with a Peacemaker over the weekend, I just can't justify spending hundreds of dollars for a gun I probably won't shoot that much. Especially since I'd have to buy a cowboy hat and a proper holster rig once I bought it.
Instead I spent my money on a netbook: the Asus 1005HA-P. I tried the cheapest version of this model at Best Buy and was shocked that I could actually touch type on the keyboard. It's a great little machine, but the Best Buy version is pretty badly neutered. I bought the top end version on Amazon along with additional memory. Now when work sends me on travel, which it has been threatening to do regularly lately, I'll have a computer to take with me. It should come in handy.
Friday, August 08, 2008
The Missing Blogger
Why haven't I posted in over a week? Well partly because work has me in training that is both interesting and challenging. If it was just one or the other, I'd probably have mental faculties left over to blog. Unfortunately with both my brain is shot and all I'm good for is light reading like Star Wars books or Burroughs' Barsoom series.
The other reason is that I generally post at work while on breaks. Unfortunately my workplace has put in place a new filtering scheme that prevents me from accessing the inner workings of my own blog. I should be thankful since I can at least access my front page. I can't even get to Livejournal any more. All this means sparse blogging during business hours until further notice.
About the Barsoom books, Frazetta may go for a weird saber look on his book covers, I really think the martian longsword is probably more of a cut and thrust. And of course I want one now. I'm so impressionable.
The other reason is that I generally post at work while on breaks. Unfortunately my workplace has put in place a new filtering scheme that prevents me from accessing the inner workings of my own blog. I should be thankful since I can at least access my front page. I can't even get to Livejournal any more. All this means sparse blogging during business hours until further notice.
About the Barsoom books, Frazetta may go for a weird saber look on his book covers, I really think the martian longsword is probably more of a cut and thrust. And of course I want one now. I'm so impressionable.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Christmas Sales
They're fun, especially when they involve full tang carbon steel katanas retailing for under $50. These aren't the greatest katana ever, but they will hold up to my typical light cutting exercises like soda bottles.
UPDATE: In anti-zombie equipment news, Cold Steel has most of their "special projects" items on sale. This includes their handy tomahawks and their pole axe which is actually on closeout for $30.
UPDATE: In anti-zombie equipment news, Cold Steel has most of their "special projects" items on sale. This includes their handy tomahawks and their pole axe which is actually on closeout for $30.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Highland Sword Play
YouTube is great for finding clips and sometimes even whole episodes of your favorite TV shows. Even if they don't air in your country (like Top Gear did). But you can also find things on YouTube that you just couldn't get before. Like this simple video showing the basics of scottish highland swordplay:
You're never going to see that on TV or even commercial video. But it is mindboggling useful if you like playing with sharp pointy objects and want to develop your skills beyond "the pointy end goes in the other man."
You're never going to see that on TV or even commercial video. But it is mindboggling useful if you like playing with sharp pointy objects and want to develop your skills beyond "the pointy end goes in the other man."
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Zombie Weapons
So the dead are rising and shambling about. And for some reason they're really hungry. What do you need? Well food and water of course! But food and water are boring, so lets talk about armor, guns, and sharp pointy things instead.
Defenses
Zombies are pretty strong, but not superhumanly strong. They have normal human strength, but they don't regulate the amount of force they use. Either they can't or they won't. And they're pretty uncoordinated and not especially bright. They're like big brain-eating toddlers. They're also stupid like toddlers, so about all they can do is shuffle up to you, grab on with all their might, and bite down really hard.
The good thing about all that is that defenses are pretty easy. A good concrete wall or a strong reinforced fence will hold small numbers back. But a larger mob can be more problematic because a bunch of people can exert a surprising amount of force. Most walls and fences are really only part of a layered defense.
What about body armor? Well you don't need heavy bullet proof vests or kevlar helmets that's for sure. Not to protect you from zombies at least. All you need is something that they can't bite or tear through easily. A set of full motorcycle race leathers would probably do it. Add a set of boots you can walk comfortably in for long distances, a good hockey or football helmet, and something to protect your neck.
If the dead walking is a supernatural event, you could stop there. But there is a chance the zombies are because of an ancient plague or modern genetic engineering. If so, these things only seem to be spread by a zombie's bodily fluids. So pack safety glasses and a surgical mask or bandanna in case you get some of him on you when you kill him. And maybe some cleaning chemicals for afterwards.
Guns
I see a lot of people saying 12 gauge here. Or machine guns. No, not really. While big guns might be useful if the living dead cause an overall breakdown in the social order, they're not necessarily that useful on zombies. Why? Because the only shot that counts on a zombie is a shot to the head that penetrates the skull and scrambles its brains. Shotguns and machineguns deliver a cone of fire, but they aren't going to give you an accurate head shot over long ranges. Plus the ammo is expensive and gets really heavy, really fast.
My suggestion? A decent .22lr rifle and a lot of ammo for it. The gun itself is cheap to buy and most are accurate. Ammo is cheap so you can stock up. Ammo is light weight so you carry a lot. Now you can own any zombie that gets within about 25 yards of you. They're also quiet so your gunfire will be less likely to attract other zombies who want to eat you. They're even quieter if you shoot from inside a building or with a silencer (which is unfortunately illegal to own in my state).
If you want more lethal range or something that will deter people, get a .223 rifle as well. The AR-15 is a great choice because they're generally quite accurate. This will let you own zombies over greater distances, but the gun is really loud. Really really loud. Just start making blood curdling zombie groans yourself loud. Which will attract more zombies to your position. So you have to fire and move or prepare to significantly reduce the entire local zombie population.
As always, handguns suck over everything but short distances. But at very short ranges they could be all that saves your life.
Manual Brain Scrambling
Unfortunately, you might run out of ammo. Well crap, now what? Well you need a hand held and muscle powered tool that will let you destroy a zombies brain or decapitate him. I prefer the former because Zombie heads can still bite and they tend to wind up under foot.
Don't use baseball bats. Hitting two round objects together, like a bat and a skull, is a recipe for ineffectual glancing blows. Plus they break easy. A friend of mine once broke two aluminum bats in the space of 15 minutes. Yes he was a burly blonde mountain of a man, but do you want to risk it if the dead are walking the earth?
A good makeshift solution is to buy an ax, sledge hammer, or crowbar from the hardware store. Swing it over your head and into Zeds. These have fairly long handles which keep you out of reach and can do a good job of cleaving or crushing a skull. And they're cheap.
If you want to be flashy, more specialized weapons are always a possibility. Max Brooks likes the shaolin spade, but its a decapitation weapon and where do you get one? I like the good ole poleaxe. Spike him through the eye or bring it down on his head. A flanged mace isn't a bad idea either. Spears are cheap, but I don't know how easy it is to penetrate the skull with one. If you're looking at swords, I recently discovered Windlass Steelcraft's Civil War reproduction sabers. They're sturdy, reasonably well balanced, and often priced under $100. That's a great price for a sturdy sword with a decent temper that will take a good edge. Or go buy a katana like everyone else.
There are of course other options for killing zombies. Just keep in mind that if it doesn't destroy the brain, it doesn't do the job. Unless you rain fragments down on their heads, blowing them up doesn't work. Don't unleash a flamethrower onto the zombie hordes either. You just get zombie hordes that set things on fire.
Defenses
Zombies are pretty strong, but not superhumanly strong. They have normal human strength, but they don't regulate the amount of force they use. Either they can't or they won't. And they're pretty uncoordinated and not especially bright. They're like big brain-eating toddlers. They're also stupid like toddlers, so about all they can do is shuffle up to you, grab on with all their might, and bite down really hard.
The good thing about all that is that defenses are pretty easy. A good concrete wall or a strong reinforced fence will hold small numbers back. But a larger mob can be more problematic because a bunch of people can exert a surprising amount of force. Most walls and fences are really only part of a layered defense.
What about body armor? Well you don't need heavy bullet proof vests or kevlar helmets that's for sure. Not to protect you from zombies at least. All you need is something that they can't bite or tear through easily. A set of full motorcycle race leathers would probably do it. Add a set of boots you can walk comfortably in for long distances, a good hockey or football helmet, and something to protect your neck.
If the dead walking is a supernatural event, you could stop there. But there is a chance the zombies are because of an ancient plague or modern genetic engineering. If so, these things only seem to be spread by a zombie's bodily fluids. So pack safety glasses and a surgical mask or bandanna in case you get some of him on you when you kill him. And maybe some cleaning chemicals for afterwards.
Guns
I see a lot of people saying 12 gauge here. Or machine guns. No, not really. While big guns might be useful if the living dead cause an overall breakdown in the social order, they're not necessarily that useful on zombies. Why? Because the only shot that counts on a zombie is a shot to the head that penetrates the skull and scrambles its brains. Shotguns and machineguns deliver a cone of fire, but they aren't going to give you an accurate head shot over long ranges. Plus the ammo is expensive and gets really heavy, really fast.
My suggestion? A decent .22lr rifle and a lot of ammo for it. The gun itself is cheap to buy and most are accurate. Ammo is cheap so you can stock up. Ammo is light weight so you carry a lot. Now you can own any zombie that gets within about 25 yards of you. They're also quiet so your gunfire will be less likely to attract other zombies who want to eat you. They're even quieter if you shoot from inside a building or with a silencer (which is unfortunately illegal to own in my state).
If you want more lethal range or something that will deter people, get a .223 rifle as well. The AR-15 is a great choice because they're generally quite accurate. This will let you own zombies over greater distances, but the gun is really loud. Really really loud. Just start making blood curdling zombie groans yourself loud. Which will attract more zombies to your position. So you have to fire and move or prepare to significantly reduce the entire local zombie population.
As always, handguns suck over everything but short distances. But at very short ranges they could be all that saves your life.
Manual Brain Scrambling
Unfortunately, you might run out of ammo. Well crap, now what? Well you need a hand held and muscle powered tool that will let you destroy a zombies brain or decapitate him. I prefer the former because Zombie heads can still bite and they tend to wind up under foot.
Don't use baseball bats. Hitting two round objects together, like a bat and a skull, is a recipe for ineffectual glancing blows. Plus they break easy. A friend of mine once broke two aluminum bats in the space of 15 minutes. Yes he was a burly blonde mountain of a man, but do you want to risk it if the dead are walking the earth?
A good makeshift solution is to buy an ax, sledge hammer, or crowbar from the hardware store. Swing it over your head and into Zeds. These have fairly long handles which keep you out of reach and can do a good job of cleaving or crushing a skull. And they're cheap.
If you want to be flashy, more specialized weapons are always a possibility. Max Brooks likes the shaolin spade, but its a decapitation weapon and where do you get one? I like the good ole poleaxe. Spike him through the eye or bring it down on his head. A flanged mace isn't a bad idea either. Spears are cheap, but I don't know how easy it is to penetrate the skull with one. If you're looking at swords, I recently discovered Windlass Steelcraft's Civil War reproduction sabers. They're sturdy, reasonably well balanced, and often priced under $100. That's a great price for a sturdy sword with a decent temper that will take a good edge. Or go buy a katana like everyone else.
There are of course other options for killing zombies. Just keep in mind that if it doesn't destroy the brain, it doesn't do the job. Unless you rain fragments down on their heads, blowing them up doesn't work. Don't unleash a flamethrower onto the zombie hordes either. You just get zombie hordes that set things on fire.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
...Like a Pirate Day
I guess I missed sword review like a pirate day. And of course he reviews a stout cutlass. Or perhaps not so stout as it is a Windlass product.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
An Old Man Moment
I ran across Paul Southren's Blog today. He is the editor of Sword Buyers Guide, which I mentioned earlier this week. Frankly I'm starting to realize why I like his site. It reminds me of the way Sword Forum used to be back when I started reading it in college. Examples of current behavior:
When it first got started, Sword Forum literally was a bunch of guys with little to no training doing cutting in their back yards with the best swords they could get their hands on. These were generally Deltin or Arms & Armor pieces that cost around $300-500. Maybe some Museum Replicas Limited swords snuck in, but back then they were just a Deltin distributor. A lot of the early days were spent explaining how to discern what was a quality sword, how to build a good pell, and how to do backyard cutting safely.
Now? Well to be honest the quality of affordable swords has improved and the quantity of instruction has increased in many areas. But most people still don't have qualified instructors close to them. Modern performance swords are also more fragile than the beaters of yore and much less forgiving.
Frankly, none of these things are a good reason to treat people like crap. SwordForumites have been known to do that. If someone comes in asking questions, the thing to do is give them answers, not tell them to use the search function and close their thread. Which is why this makes this statement from Paul Southern makes me feel good:
Due to my publishing of a 'controversial' article on Backyard Cutting - which is in the eyes of Sword Forum International is effectively taboo without first getting proper instruction...And...
And many people at SFI refuse to acknowledge or even look at swords priced under $500.The sad thing is that it wasn't always this way. Frankly the site and people on it have changed a lot.
When it first got started, Sword Forum literally was a bunch of guys with little to no training doing cutting in their back yards with the best swords they could get their hands on. These were generally Deltin or Arms & Armor pieces that cost around $300-500. Maybe some Museum Replicas Limited swords snuck in, but back then they were just a Deltin distributor. A lot of the early days were spent explaining how to discern what was a quality sword, how to build a good pell, and how to do backyard cutting safely.
Now? Well to be honest the quality of affordable swords has improved and the quantity of instruction has increased in many areas. But most people still don't have qualified instructors close to them. Modern performance swords are also more fragile than the beaters of yore and much less forgiving.
Frankly, none of these things are a good reason to treat people like crap. SwordForumites have been known to do that. If someone comes in asking questions, the thing to do is give them answers, not tell them to use the search function and close their thread. Which is why this makes this statement from Paul Southern makes me feel good:
Since a lot of beginners tend to get shot down or mocked at SFI for posting or asking questions about entry level swords, I am planning to introduce my own forum for beginners and intermediate sword enthusiasts within the next couple of month - so watch this space!Good for you Paul!
Cutting Vids
Cutting with a sword is trickier than you'd think. Just making a clean cut in the first place is hard. If you do it wrong, then typically your cut is messy or you just bang things around. Unfortunately I'm not very good at it and usually things go flying even with a "good" cut.
But this guy is amazing. Some of his cuts are so clean that the top and bottom of his targets stay together after he has cut them in half. Wow.
UPDATE: More Tameshigiri (mat cutting) from James Williams. His first and second vids imply he is using Bugei swords.
But this guy is amazing. Some of his cuts are so clean that the top and bottom of his targets stay together after he has cut them in half. Wow.
UPDATE: More Tameshigiri (mat cutting) from James Williams. His first and second vids imply he is using Bugei swords.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Sword Reviews
Sword Buyers Guide is an interesting site I stumbled across looking for reviews of Cheness Katanas. SBG focuses on finding good quality swords for under $300. The site is divided into sections like European, Mid-eastern, Japanese, Chinese which provide sword reviews for competing weapons in a given style. The $300 limit is a nice touch since many of the other sword enthusiast sites (like MyArmoury and Swordforum) have migrated to higher priced blades.
I found the Japanese section to be really handy with all the new katana makers that are coming onto the market. Previously, your choice for inexpensive katanas was between Kris Cutlery and Hanwei Forge produced swords. In the last couple of years, several new competitors have come onto the market including Cheness, Last Legend, and Oni Forge.
I must say that after doing my research, those Cheness swords look like great buys. Maybe I'll pick one up once I have a backyard I could use for cutting practice.
I found the Japanese section to be really handy with all the new katana makers that are coming onto the market. Previously, your choice for inexpensive katanas was between Kris Cutlery and Hanwei Forge produced swords. In the last couple of years, several new competitors have come onto the market including Cheness, Last Legend, and Oni Forge.
I must say that after doing my research, those Cheness swords look like great buys. Maybe I'll pick one up once I have a backyard I could use for cutting practice.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Sword Makes the Hero
A teenage karate student defended his Hialeah, Florida home with his samurai sword after two thugs broke into his home. Damian Fernandez stabbed one of them in the chest and both thieves fled. The injured robber was captured where he was hiding down the street.
I don't know what type of samurai sword he used. Gizmodo says a katana, but the teenager recants his story with a wakazashi in the video clip. The shorter sword is a better one for indoors work, although both would work well in a thrust.
It is kind of sobering to think that someone could be stabbed in the chest with a sword and still keep moving, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. The curvature of a samurai sword makes it a poor stabbing weapon and frankly lots of people take multiple bullets to the chest before they go down.
One of these days I'll pick up a katana and wakazashi to go with my european long sword. Kris Cutlery makes a good product that isn't so expensive I would feel bad using it on milk jugs and soda bottles. A gladius would be a nice addition to my collection as well. But as always, I need to pace myself. Perhaps it is time to make another wish list.
I don't know what type of samurai sword he used. Gizmodo says a katana, but the teenager recants his story with a wakazashi in the video clip. The shorter sword is a better one for indoors work, although both would work well in a thrust.
It is kind of sobering to think that someone could be stabbed in the chest with a sword and still keep moving, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. The curvature of a samurai sword makes it a poor stabbing weapon and frankly lots of people take multiple bullets to the chest before they go down.
One of these days I'll pick up a katana and wakazashi to go with my european long sword. Kris Cutlery makes a good product that isn't so expensive I would feel bad using it on milk jugs and soda bottles. A gladius would be a nice addition to my collection as well. But as always, I need to pace myself. Perhaps it is time to make another wish list.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)